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D39         M        ^B   ET   Ibl 

1916        ■ 

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GIFT  OF 


((/j,^tJ^f<H^  l| 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/daybeforemarriagOOdalerich 


THE  DAY 
BEFORE  MARRIAGE 


BT 

MARY  DALE 


Hand  painte<l  page  designs  by  Alice  D.  Bryant 
Co^cr  design  by  Howard  Williard 
TyF>ograpKj>  by  Taylor's  Printerj^ 


WARREN  T.  POTTER 

PUBLISHER  AND   BOOKMAKER 

511-12  Baker-Det^iler  Bldg. 

LOS  ANGELES.  CAUFORNL\ 


Copyright,  1916,  by 
WARREN  T.  POTTER 


All  Rigkts  Reserve<^Ot 


r^ 


'■■■  :.    .:^W 


HAlt4 


o 


"  So  let  our  lcr?e 
As  endless  prove 
And  pure  as  gold  as  e^er/* 


360644 


.'~d 


/ 


THE  DAY 
BEFORE  MARRIAGE 


;■-^>^ 


THE  SALUTATION  OF  THE  DAWN 


Listen  to  tKe  Salutation 
of  tKe  Dav?n ! 
Look  to  4iis  Da5^ ! 
For  it  is  Life,  the  -Oery  Life  of  Life. 
In  its  trief  course  lie  all  tKe 
Varieties  and  Realities  of 
Your  existence; 
Tlie  bliss  of  GrowtK 
Tlie  glor?  of  Action 
TTie  splendor  of  Beaut? 
For  yesterda^  is  but  a  dream 
And  tomorrow  only  a  Vision. 
But  toda>^  well  lived  n\akes 
Ever?  yesterday)  a  Dream  of  Happiness 
And  every  tomorrov?  a  Vision  of  Hope. 
Look  well  therefore  to  4iis  Day ; 
SucK  is  tKe  Salutation  of  tKe  Dawn. 

— From  the  Sanskrit. 


THE    BRIDE:       CLOTHED    IN    WHITE, 
MYSTICAL.  WONDERFUL. 


To  me  Bride 

Dame  Nature  called  a  meeting  of  tKe 
Flowers  and  told  tKem  that  a  Ckild  of  Man 
was  to  be  married  that  daj^.  What  message 
Had  tkey  to  send? 

The  Lily  said,  "  I  ha^e  a  Bag  of  Memories 
to  decorate  her  heart." 

"And  2?ou,  Dais}^?** 

"Oh,  I  have  something  to  put  into  Her 
laughter  to  make  it  merry  and  true  for  all 
time." 

"And  2?ou,  Red  Geranium,  what  have  you 
to  offer?" 

"My  faithfulness  and  loyalt?.  Wifl\  these 
I  shall  guard  her  garden  heart." 

"And  you,  Rose  La  France?" 


"AYE,  EVERT  INCH  A  QUEEN." 


"I  sKall  write  Her  a  sonnet  on  Lo^e  and 
Romance.   Maj)  tkey  aoiae  *v?itK  Her  forever.'* 

niie  Violet  stepped  forward  and  witk  proudlj? 
lifted  Kead  said,  "  I  will  sing  to  Her  every  day 
my  little  song,  'Look  up!  Look  up.  Heaven 
is  alxj^e  you.*  " 

"And  you,  Malmaison,  -v^Kat  will  you  do?" 

"  Let  my  fragrance  ^Kisper  tKat  sKe  make  Ker 
Life  as  fragrant.  ^The  perfume  of  the  soul  is 
God's  own  sweet  scent." 

"Have  you  anything  to  say.  Orange  Blossom?" 

With  tke  air  of  a  philosopher  she  answered 
demurely),  "I  ^ill  ask  Her  to  foot  Life  firmlj?; 
4ien  will  she  never  fall  or  be  bruised." 

"I    ppy    that    she     keep    me   ever    in    her 


WHAT  IS  HAPPINESS?  LOVE  REALIZED. 


tKougKts,"  said  tKe  Purple  Pans^?.      Its  Keart  of 
gold  ^as  clearly  seen. 

"I  sKall  kiss  Her,"  exclaimed  tke  Tulip  tri- 
umphantly.     "A  Bride  is  always  Ijeautiful." 

And  ftien  Yellow  Poppj?  came  forward  and 
^itk  incomparable  grace  and  ^insomeness  of 
manner  spoke  modestly,  "  I  shall  give  Her  myself 
dressed  in  gold,  for  mj)  heart  b  Hers  and  Hers  is 
mine.     I  lo^e  Her.'* 

Dame  Nature's  content  was  of  such  happiness 
that  a  Sunbeam  caught  it  and  carried  it  to 
Heaven. 

Her  message  was : 

"Li^e  pure  —  speak  true — right  ^rong — 
follow  the  King.'* 


NATURE  IS  THE  ART  OF  GOD." 


J — V- 
n\  FOREWORD 


Dear  Lacl>)  of  Dreanis : 

Ncrp?  tKat  your  dream,  tKe  most  beautiful  of 
all  life  —  tKe  dream  of  true  matesKip  —  is  about  to 
be  realized,  I  trust  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to 
add  something  to  your  measure  of  content,  diat 
v?ill  perKaps  lend  a  grace  all  its  own. 

Ckance  it  ^as  tKat  one  daj?  gave  to  me  a  very 
old  book,  printed  and  published  more  d\an  seventj 
fi^e  years  ago.  In  browsing  mrougk  its  pages  I 
came  across  man^J  perfections  of  thought.  One 
there  was  4iat  fulfilled  for  me  ^e  magnetism  of 
4ie  word  "charm",  as  v?ell  as  ano4ier  spelled 
"eternal."  Together  4iey  have  for  their  -Oalue  ftie 
permanency?  of  truth  and  beau^.  It  was  called 
"Hlie  Da>)  Before  Marriage." 


"GOD  GIVES    US    LOVE.    SOMETHING 
TO  LOVE  HE  LENDS  US." 


WKen  I  Kad  jinished  reading  it  tears  were  in 
mj)  eyes,  tKougk  a  smile  was  on  my  lips.  Its 
kuman  appealing  strength  was  so  manifest ;  and  in 
consequence,  my  desire  was  for  others  to  learn  of 
its  fineness  and  vJorth,  which  pleads  the  excuse 
for  4iis  slender  volume. 

Long  after  I  closed  flae  IdooIc  I  sat  and  thought 
of  4ie  things  I  had  read.  Contemplations  took 
fhe  form  of  a  vista  of  an  old  fashioned  garden 
where  bloomed  June  scents,  fragrant  and  alluring. 
As  sentinels  to  guard  them,  splendid  trees  of  cen- 
turies gro\\^fl\  mello>??ed  h;)  dignified  romanticism 
gave  just  the  touch  of  sincere  atmosphere  which 
breathes  4ie  mystical  content  of  all  kindred  4iings. 

And  there  arose  a  Vision  of  the  "Head 
Gardener." 


"O  TELL  HER  BRIEF  IS  UFE,  BUT  LOVE 
IS  LONG." 


He  was  Ijenign  and  courtlj).  His  days  Kad 
been  spent  in  growing  flowers  of  tKougKt.  TKese 
vJere  planted  in  cKaracter  gardens  of  Worth  whicK 
gleamed  in  tKe  sunligKt  of  truth  \?ith  a  splendor 
all  their  oWn. 

And  4ie  material  for  this  had  been  found 
tending  roses  and  what  not  of  like  qualit?,  in  4iat 
acreage  of  possibilities ;  for  while  it  is  a  common 
thing  to  raise  flowers,  it  is  God  who  gives  their 
fragrance. 

Under  ft\e  shade  of  the  magnificent  oak  I  saW 
him  sitting  talking  to  Her,  his  pride  and  glory. 
She  v?as  so  soon  to  leave  d\is  seasoned,  age- 
mellowed  home  garden  of  loneliness  for  another, 
her  own,  which  She  called,  no  doubt,  **  the  gar- 
den of  exquisite  lo^e  and  dreams.** 


"THE  STORY  ALWAYS  OLD,  AND  AL- 
WAYS  NEW." 


And  as  he  spoke  to  Her  on  this  day,  "HTie 
Day  Before  Marriage,"  I  felt  that  the  import,  &ie 
beaut?  and  simphcit?  of  his  language  x^ere  in 
accord  with  those  other  strange  conceits  around 
him :  4\e  simple,  old  fashioned  flowers  of  worth 
and  cunning,  which  he  himself  had  planted — from 
sheer  lo^e  of  them — year  in  and  year  out,  in  d\at 
garden  of  delights.  Such  are  not  uncommon  to 
you.  Fair  Lad^.  Many  times  have  you  plucked 
their  kind. 

Among  them  are  numbered  the  modest  Violet 
that  "unawares  whispers  by  its  fragrance  that  it  is 
there.**  Here  is  the  tender,  delicate  Mignonette 
bloomful  of  scent.  Tliere  is  perhaps  4ie  sturdy 
Daffodil,  called  the  "Woods  Herald  of  Spring.'* 


"  IT  IS  NOT  GOOD  THAT  THE  MAN 
SHOULD  BE  ALONE." 


Again  it  may  be  tKe  pink  clambering  Rose 
uniting  with  a  Kost  of  otkers  in  compliment :  all 
of  these  ma^  be  edged  with  the  bitter  fragrance 
and  strength  giving  "  Box  of  Memories.** 

I  could  hear  his  tender  tones  that  were  soft  as 
4ie  south  "Wind  tempering  that  June  day.  He 
first  discoursed  on  life  and  his  lo^e  of  her  —  the 
Gentle  Lady  —  her  mother,  who  with  her  life  and 
lo^e  enwoven  with  his  had  brought  forth  from 
their  garden  hearts,  She,  who  no^  sat  with  them, 
an  expectant  bride.  I  saw,  too,  from  the  manner 
of  his  speech,  how  the  twain  had  nurtured  and 
strengthened  Her  from  a  babe  to  Womanhood,  to 
meet  the  storms  of  Life  and  its  adversitp,  which 
all  of  us  suffer ;  what  paths  to  folW  that  lead  to 


"THE  BOOK  OF  LIFE  BEGAM  WITH  A 
MAN  AND  A  WOMAN  IN  A  GARDEN/' 


kappiness  and  contentment;  and  wKick  to  avoid 
to  escape  miser?  and  disaster;  and  too,  "wi^i  these 
sublimities,  tne  cultivation  of  frie  blessed  sense  of 
Kumor  without  which  Life  in  general  has  less 
smiles  than  it  should  haVe,  and  Marriage  in  par- 
ticular. 

And  as  I  looked  upon  Her,  no\>?  grown  to 
■woman's  estate,  matchless  in  beaut?  and  character, 
■vJidi  that  winsome  personality  which  is  4ie  result 
of  exquisite  refinement  of  environment  born  of 
right  thinking,  and  an  humble  attitude  to  God,  I 
said:  **I  do  not  \\?onder  He  likens  Her  to  nature's 
woman  among  her  flov?ers,  {he  red  rose,  that 
grows  from  its  heart  "vJi^iin  and  spreads  its  fra- 
grance and  influence  as  {he  leaves  of  it  unfold. 
She  is  comely?  enough." 


"O  LYRIC  LOVE,  HALF  ANGEL  AND 
HALF  BIRD,  AND  ALL  A  WONDER  AND 
A  WILD  DESIRE." 


I  glanced  from  Her  to  Him.  I  could  well  see 
Ko^;?  in  &ie  growing  of  Kis  garden  rosary,  Ke  Kad 
tKougKt  of  Her,  the  one  rose  of  tKeir  garden 
hearts  and  had  striven  to  make  Her  akin  to  me 
ones  he  pruned  and  deeded  daily,  and  ^hich  he 
carefuUj?  kept  from  all  forms  of  disease;  until  tfaey 
blossomed  into  flowers  of  worth  and  character,  in- 
fluential h^  4ieir  fltness  and  royal  -Virtues.  And 
I  imagined  in  all  this  step  t>y  step  lator,  there  was 
a  hidden  purpose  •vjhich  was  to  be  revealed  when 
4ie  time  came  for  Her  to  lea^e  this  home  patch 
of  loveliness  and  be  transplanted  to  another. 
Tliere  with  her  chosen,  royal  gardener  of  Lo^e, 
she  would  make  their  Garden  of  Life  and  v9ould 


"MARRIAGE  IS  A  SERIOUS  THING.' 


give  tKat  same  qualit?  of  tenderness  and  common 
sense  training  to  tKe  jlovJers  of  Ker  own  growing 
tKat  sKe  Kad  received. 

Tlins  sKe  ^ould  fulfill  tke  W,  foreordained 
h;p  Him,  tKe  Creator,  tKat  "all  marriages  made 
in  Heaven  sKould  Kave  Heaven  in  tKe  marriage." 
niiis  is,  Dear  Ladj?,  die  summit  of  all  eartKly 
Kappiness,  and  to  be  understood,  must  Ka^e  fliis 
factor  in  tKe  Kearts  of  parent  and  cKild  tKat  tKe 
same  maj)  be  kept  unclouded  for  "etemitj." 

TTie  beau^  of  tKis  wisdom  Keld  me  strangely?. 
I  looked  around  tKat  garden  of  deligKts.  I  now 
understood  wKat  Kad  been  tKe  life  work  of  tKe 
"Head  Gardener  and  Kis  Gentle  Lady." 


"I  DREAM   OF  UNIONS   THAT  ABIDE 
ALWAY." 


Dear  Lad^  of  Dreams :  my  vista  is  dispelled. 
I  lea-Oe  you  to  peruse  the  old  fasKioned  tKougKts 
I  kave  gathered;  thoughts  -wherein  you  will  find 
that  of  ^hich  I  ha^e  spoken.  Hlxeir  priceless 
truths  make  for  {he  richness  of  Love  and  the  full- 
ness of  Life. 

May  they  be  ^pour  portion.  M.  D. 


IT  WAS  ROSES.  ROSES  ALL  THE  WAY." 


THE  DAY 
BEFORE  MARRIAGE 


CONSIDER  THE  YELLOW  POPPY. 


Hrie  Daj)  Before  Marriage 

" ^iKe  onlj?  true  happiness  for  a  woman 
in  tKis  "World  is  a  nappy  marriage.** 

Come  hidxer,  m^?  daughter  :  your  marriage 
day  is  at  hand :  you  "will  not  be  much  longer 
the  light  of  6rds  old  house  and  garden.  Sit  h;) 
me  and  I  will  once  more  tell  you  a  story,  as  I 
used  to  do  when  you  were  a  little  girl,  and 
looked  up  in  bright-eyed  wonder  at  m^^  tale. 

I  doubt  not  Billj)  has  told  you  often  enough 
that  you  are  all  in  all  to  him ;  4iat  no  human 
being  e-Oer  was  to  another,  what  ;pou  are  to  him; 
^at  he  feels  for  you  a  deeper,  tenderer,  purer, 
more  disinterested  demotion  than  ever  man  felt 
for  ^oman.  Don't  ;9ou  be!ie^?e  him.  Naj),  do 
not  start  and  turn  pale ;  the  2?oung  rascal  be- 
lieves what  he  says  to  be  true,  and  that  ought 


"LOVE  IS  I  KNOW  NOT  WHAT,  WHICH 
COMES  FROM  I  KNOW  NOT  WHERE, 
AND  WHICH  FINISHES  I  KNOW  NOT 
HOW." 


to  be  enougK  for  you.  WKat  I  mean  is,  tKat  I 
Ka^e  in  my  day  said  and  felt  as  much  for  the 
Gentle  Lady  the  other  side  of  you. 

But  I  mean  something  more  than  that;  you 
ha^e  yourself  been  the  object  of  a  deeper,  ten- 
derer, purer,  more  disinterested  devoted  attach- 
ment than  his.  No^  don't  be  angr?,  though  it 
becomes  j)ou  to,  and  bespeaks  the  sincere  confiding 
spirit  of  the  bride.  He  too,  "v^ould  shov?  a 
righteous  indignation  if  he  heard  me,  and  yet 
neither  of  you  have  cause.  You  do  not  under- 
stand me;  nor  can  you  until  you  become  a 
mo4ier. 

There!  &\e  riddle  is  out.  I  mean  that  you 
•Were  a  person  of  much  more  consequence  in 
the  eyes  of  two  others,  eh.  Wife? 


"WOMEN  ARE  THE  FLOWERS  OF  LIFE 
AS  CHILDREN  ARE  ITS  FRUITS." 


TTiat  you  were  tKe  object  of  a  more  profound 
lo^e  than  you  e-Oer  can  be  again,  long  before  you 
knev?  Kow  deligntful  a  thing  it  is  to  repaj)  love 
\vi4i  love.  You  have  been  admired,  and  have 
been  told  that  2?ou  were  admired;  and  though  I, 
your  father  say  it,  v?ho  ought  not  to  s&^  it,  you 
are  v?or4iy  to  be  admired.  And  you  have  been 
flattered,  flattered  by  admiration;  never  deny  it 
girl;  it  is  human  nature,  and  sits  prettily  upon  a 
young  ^oman. 

But  you  were  ^??elcomed  home  and  admired, 
wifh  far  more  solicitude  before  you  were  twelve 
months  old  than  ^ou  ever  will  be  again.  Strange 
it  is,  but  it  seems  to  be  &\e  unwavering  rule  of 
Providence,    that    the   "v^armest   affection   should 


"LOVE  IS  THE  HISTORY  OF  WOMAN'S 
LIFE." 


ever  be  squandered  upon  tKose  ^Ko  are  unavJare 
of  the  wealtK  wKicK  is  Keaped  upon  tkem. 

It  v?as  a  proud  and  Kappj?  day,  tKat  of  your 
birtk.  ni\e  -vJays  were  muddj/  and  keen  Kail 
sKo'wers  alternating  witK  sleet,  were  borne  on  {he 
wind,  that  howled  and  thumped  around  the  house 
as  if  seeking  to  force  its  way  in.  And  &\e  bodilj) 
sufferir.g  of  2?our  mother  scarcely?  exceeded  the 
anxiet?  of  {lie  rest  of  {he  household.  It  was  a 
heavenly  summer  time  when  it  ^as  all  over ;  &ie 
v?ind  and  weather,  what  did  v^e  heed  them,  when 
she  looked  up  at  me,  as  I  looked  at  ^ou  lying  in 
her  arms.  After  all,  anj^  disinterested  person 
must  ha^e  thought  you  a  strange  looking  creature. 
You  had  not  learned  to  make  use  of  ^^our  eyes: 


"TO  SUFFER  WHEM  ONE  LOVES  IS 
SWEET  AND  GOOD  FOR  IT  IS  THE 
HAPPINESS  OF  MARTYRDOM." 


one  v?as  turned  up  to  3?our  eyebrows,  and  the 
otKer  down  to  your  moutk. 

"Father!" 

"Fact!  Fact!  Ask  the  Gentle  Lady  there,  if 
;pou  don't  believe  me.** 

But  2?ou  v?ere  beautiful  in  our  eyes  and  those 
of  your  grandmother.  She  had  been  passing 
back  and  forth  between  your  mother's  apartment 
and  4ie  parlor,  thinking  to  keep  up  our  spirits, 
but  sinking  them  rather  bj)  her  agitated  looks. 

But  when  she  came  to  tell  me  all  was  well,  she 
could  not  find  her  ^oice,  and  she  did  not  need  to 
find  it,  for  her  face  T?as  radiant.  You  were  a 
lamp  set  do^n  among  us  to  enlighten  our  faces. 
We    had  lived  together  and  thought  we  lo^ed 


"LIVE  HAPPILY.' 


each  other;  but  when  you  v?ere  added  to  the 
family  it  was  like  a  ne^  revelation;  and  it 
seemed  as  if  ^e  had  been  living  coldly  and  heart- 
lessly ^ith  each  other. 

A  cord  was  around  us,  drawing  us  into  closer 

relationship,  and  2?ou,  little  unconscious  elf,  were 
the  talisman  that  worked  all  these  wonders. 
I  could  write  a  big  book  about  the  first  year  of 
your  life  and  yet  not  contrive  to  say  all  I  ha^e  to 
sa^,  to  show  how  much  more  important  a  baby  is 
4ian  any  grown  or  growing  person  possibly  can  be. 
You  will  scarcely  recollect  fl\e  day  of  your 
Christening.  Tliat  too,  v?as  a  memorable  day. 
Mooter,  nurse  and  grandmother,  I  cannot  say 
which  of  them   looked  &\e  most  consequential; 


"SAY  NOTHING  OF  HIS  FAULTS  AND 
HE  WILL  SAT  NOTHING  OF  YOURS." 


•wKile  you,  4ie  real  Heroine  of  ^e  occasion,  took 
it  with  unparalleled  sang-froid.  You  did  not  e^en 
seem  to  mind  4ie  beautiful,  ricK  lace  cap  of  v?hicK 
there  is  family  tradition  that  your  mother  was 
Christened  in  it  too.  You  positively  slept  flirough 
^e  ceremony),  to  4ie  great  consternation  of  &\e 
nurse,  who  held  it  a  bad  omen  that  2?ou  did  not 
squall. 

But  if  3)ou  thought  little  I  thought  die  more ; 
for  when  I  turned  from  4ie  marble  font  to  the 
altar  \5indow  v^lxere  v?as  painted  the  do-Oe  hover- 
ing over  the  cloud  choirs  it  was  commissioned  to 
impregnate  with  light  and  IcrOe,  I  felt  awed,  and 
subdued,  and  anxious  for  my  baby,  and  yet  con- 
soled. I  felt  it  was  your  inauguration  into  {he 
sorrovJs  of  life. 


"SORROW  IS  A  FRUIT:  GOD  DOES 
MOT  MAKE  IT  GROW  ON  UMBS  TOO 
WEAK  TO  BEAR  IT." 


niie  m^Jstic  rite  was  4ie  Kerald  of  tKe  sufferings 
to  v?hich  humanitj  is  heir,  but  it  was  at  ^e  same 
time,  me  pledge  tkat  "God  would  temper  the 
wind  to  &ie  shorn  lamb." 

I  ^ill  not  tell  you  Uo^^  we  felt,  for  the  Gentle 
Lad}?,  your  mother,  vJent  foot  for  foot  in  feeling 
all  my  jojJs,  cares,  hopes  and  sorrows,  as  well  as 
fears  about  you ;  as  indeed  she  has  been  the  mir- 
ror of  my  life  for  I  will  not  sa>)  how  many  years, 
bearing  half  m]?  cares  and  redoubling  all  my  joys. 
I  would  not  ha^e  said  so  much  for  fear  of  making 
her  ^ain.  Ne-Oer  praise  people  to  their  faces. 
Daughter;  it  spoils  them,  but  you  see  she  is 
asleep.  What  makes  the  Gentle  Lady's  head 
keep  nudging  at  that  rate  behind  her  handker- 
chief?     Has  she  been  listening  all  this  time? 


"MOTHER!  A  MAIDEN  IS  A  TENDER 
THING  AND  BEST  BY  HER  THAT  BORE 
HER  UNDERSTOOD." 


I  v?ill  say  nothing  of  our  care  for  you  e^en  in 
trifles;  of  4ie  long  kapp2?  ^alks  we  had  some 
days  going  from  bazaar  to  bazaar  to  choose  pla^?- 
things  for  so  young  a  baby  ;  of  4ie  utter  forgetful- 
ness  of  my  personal  dignibj  with  which  I  used  to 
bring  sweetmeats  to  ^e  baby  from  town  in  my 
great  coat  pocket.  Tou  v?ould  think  I  xCas  wishing 
to  bribe  >)ou  bj)  these  recollections  not  to  forget 
the  old  folks  v?hen  3)ou  lea^e  them.  It  would  be 
unkind  to  do  so ;  it  would  look  as  if  you  could 
forget  them. 

You  grev?  up  among  us  like  an  opening  flower. 
Ever^pday  we  saw  something  ne\0  to  lo^e  and 
praise  in  ;9ou.  To  hear  2?ou  talk  one  ^>?ould  have 
thought  there  never  had  been  such  a  baby.  A 
strange  thing  it  is,  a  child.  Tnere  is  a  delicate 
beaub?  about  its  soft  eyes  and  rosy  cheeks  and 


HAPPINESS  IS  NO  LAUGHING  MATTER." 


tiny  mouth.  It  "vJas  so  pretty  to  see  fl\e  little 
tking  examine  our  hands  one  after  4\e  other,  to 
see  if  they  held  something  to  eat. 

And  it  was  so  engaging  ^hen  it  held  its  little 
mouth  to  he  kissed.  And  it  ^as  sparkling  when 
it  dived  down  into  its  mother's  arms  and  hid  its 
face  in  her  bosom  when  playfully  minded.  But 
strangest,  loveliest  of  all  vy?hen  it  seemed  to  l>e 
tr3)ing  to  think,  when  consciousness  of  reason  and 
etemit?  seemed  to  be  dawning  upon  God's  own 
image,  shrinking  abashed  from  4ie  glories  of  its 
own  nature. 

And  yet  mj)  daughter,  and  such  moments 
come  to  all,  there  was  something  terrible  in  your 
childish  glee.  When  I  reflected  how  trifling  the 
cause  of  your  delight,  the  transitory  nature  of  the 
delight  itself,  I  was  tempted  all   human  happiness 


"WOMANLINESS  MEANS  ONLY  MO- 
THERHOOD,  ALL  LOVE  BEGINS  AND 
ENDS  THERE." 


was  alike  unreasonable  and  unnatural.  Life  seemed 
to  be  a  succession  of  brief  bursts  of  ecstasy  at  long 
internals,  grovJing  duller  and  duller  till  it  ended 
in  inane  apath}^.  I  will  not  dwell  on  the  tKougkt. 
It  is  one  that  mocks  in  our  happiest  hour  and 
\s?hich  not  reason,  but  faith  alone  can  dispel. 

But  more  dangerous  and  desolate  emotions 
were  a^^akened  when  illness  came  upon  3)ou. 
Tl\ere  is  nothing  so  pitiful,  as  to  witness  the 
sufferings  of  a  little  child.  We  cannot  tell  alwa>)s 
their  cause  or  nature,  and  it  cannot  tell.  TTie 
impotency  of  human  desire  to  give  relief,  is  never 
so  painfully  felt. 

Tl\e  innocence  and  weakness  too  of  the  suf- 
ferer conjures  up  rebellious  thoughts.  My  God ! 
I  know  that  my  own  sufferings  are  4ie  consequen- 
ces of  my  ov^n  sins,  but  v^hat  has  this   innocent 


"THERE  ARE  BUT  TWO  BOONS  TO 
MAKE  LIFE  WORTH  LIVING:  THE  LOVE 
OF  ART  AND  ART  OF  LOVING." 


done?  It  is  onl]?  ^vphen  tKe  little  creature  vJrithes 
in  torture  tkat  xOe  feel  these  misgivings;  its  un- 
complaining languor  goes  witk  more  dead  certaint? 
to  4ie  heart.  Oh,  v?hat  a  relief  it  has  been  after 
such  a  visitation  to  see  my  child's  eye  brighten 
again  and  hear  its  blessed,  clear  voice  breathing 
happiness. 

It  Were  hard  to  sa^  whether  your  sufferings  or 
your  enjoj^ments  have  endeared  you  most  to  us. 
You  ha^e  been  a  dear,  good  daughter  to  >)our 
father  and  mother,  and  you  understand  thb  play- 
ful exaggeration  of  this  nurserj  legend. 

And  2?et  it  is  not  all  exaggeration.  Daughter. 

But  go  —  rcyp  tears  are  under  my  eyelids,  and  I 
shall  make  a  fool  of  myself  if  I  go  on  much  longer. 
You  v?ill  realize  it  all  better  when  you  repeat  to  a 
little  child  of  ;9our  oWn  the  tale  j^our  fiather  told 
you,  "TTie  Da>)  Before  Marriage." 


THE  GRACE  OF  CULTURE  IS.  IM  ITS 
WAY,  A  FINE  THING,  BUT  THE  BEST 
THAT  ART  CAN  DO  — THE  POU5H  OF 
A  GENTLEWOMAN— IS  HARDLY  EQUAL 
TO  THE  BEST  THAT  NATURE  CAN  DO 
IN  HER  HIGHER  MOODS.  LOOK  YOU 
KEEP  LOVE  ALWAYS. 


Personal  Greetings 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY, 

BERKELEY 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 

STAMPED  BELOW 

Books  not  returned  on  time  are  subject  to  a  fine  of 
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to  $1.00  per  volume  after  the  sixth  day.     Books  not  in 
demand  may  be  renewed  if  application  is  made  before 
expiration  of  loan  period. 

1                 SEP  10  1 

?26 

^'-  ?-8  '^26 

5Jan'58aCX 

REC'D  LD 

DEC  18  1957 

' 

2r>m-7,'2|H 

YC   16050 


CDSSllE^bs 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


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